Year 2032. The third Iran-Iraq war has come to an end; the bombing attack on 11/11 in Long Beach, California is a bad memory; Saudi Arabia has recently suppressed a coup attempt; Russians and Turks clash in the Caspian basin; Iranian armored units, with the support of their Chinese allies' satellite and unmanned forces, abandon their bases and move south in an attempt to regain the resource-rich region they believe was stolen from them by Lukoil, BP, and ExxonMobil with their private armies.

The Intervention Force monopolizes mercenaries. Its leader is the disgraced former US Marine General James Solter, who was removed by the President for threatening the Chinese with a nuclear holocaust and now lives in exile in the Middle East. Particularly skilled in military and political planning, Solter manages to occupy vast areas with oil and gas deposits, thus becoming the most powerful man on the planet. His ultimate goal is to avenge those responsible for his exile and return home... as a general.

The only one who can stop him is Gilbert "Gent" Gentilome, Solter's most loyal mercenary and closest confidant, who is also the narrator of the story...

With its main characteristic being the incredibly impressive research into military tactics and imbued with the timeless issues of honor and bravery of warriors that characterize all of Pressfield's novels, "The Professional" is one of those rare novels that remain indelibly etched in the reader's memory...